Manufacture of artificial materials



Feb. 25, 1936. TAYLOR 2,311,?

MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL MATERIALS Filed NOV. 16, 1932 5. (a W if'f'or'wags i atentecl Feb. 25 1936 UNITED STA ES PATENT osmos- MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL MATERIALS Application No've'mberlfi, 1932, Serial No. 642,867 In Great Britain November 27, 1931 2 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of artificial materials, and in particular to the manufacture and winding of artificial filaments or threads especially, though'not" exclusively, by the dry or evaporative method. In particular the invention is concerned with the production of hanks of such filaments or threads.

The general construction of dry-spinning apparatus for the production of artificial filaments or threads as now employedin commerce is disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 1,692,125. In the use of such apparatus the extrusion of spinning solutions, e, g. ofcellulose acetate'or other cellulose derivatives such as other esters of cellulose or ethers of cellulose, for example cellulose formate, propionate, and butyrate, and ethyl, methyl, and benzyl cellulose, in suitable volatile solvents is effected into a chamber containing a heated evaporated atmosphere from which the filaments are led to a winding device, which takes up the filaments or threads in untwisted form, this winding device being in the form of a bobbin or the like or hanking rollers, drums or frames The specification describes indetail a dry-spinning apparatus in which the threads issuing from a spinning chamber pass over feedrollers to vertical bobbins which are driven by friction, the feed-rollers being driven 'at suitable speeds according to the speed of extrusion and speed of winding of-the threads. Thus, the feed-rollers can be driven at the same speed as that of extrusion or ata higher speed if it is desired to draw or extend the threads; It will be readily understood, therefore, that the rate of production of the finished thread depends upon the peripheral speed of the feed-roller, provided that the bobbin winds the thread just as fast as it is delivered from the feed-roller.

When it is desired to form the threads into hanks, it will be seen that the increasing periphery of the hank as the package is formed results in a, tendency for take-up of the finished thread to proceed at an ever-increasing speed, and it'has been found in practice that there is a danger of the denier of the thread being progressively reduced since the rate of take-up exceeds the peripheral speed of the feed-roller.

The object of the present invention is to enable the production of hanks to take place without any substantial variation in denier of the thread between the beginning and the end of the hank formation.

According to the present invention the thread is taken sufficiently round the feed-roller on its .way: to the reel or swift to ensure substantially non-slipping contact between the thread andthe" feed-roller to enable the thread to be drawn down from the jet at the speed of the periphery of the roller. The thread is then delivered tothe reel or'swift at that speed, and the tendency toincreased rate of take-up at the reel or swift cannot affect the rate of draw-downof the thread. The above-mentioned tendency for the rate of" take-up at the reel or swift is "still present, but this can be allowed for by the provision of a va-' riabledrive for the reel or swift.

The reel or swift may have cylindrical form, so that apart from the tendency to increased rate of take-up resulting from increase in diameter during package building, the rate of take-up during therotation of the reel'or swift is substantially uniform. Since, however, the rate of draw down has been rendered independent o'fthe rate of take-up, swifts having polygonal periphery may be employed. For example, the swifts may comprise six arms radiating from a central hub. The reels or swifts may, if desired, be of 001- lapsible form to facilitate the removal of complete hanks therefrom, and are preferably inde-' pendently mounted along the length of the spinning machine, there being preferably one'reel or swiftfor each spinning jet, Conveniently, however, a common driving shaft is employed for all the reels or swifts.

Traversing of the yarn on to the swift, which may be of any desired width, may be effected in any convenient manner; For example, traversing may be effected by a guide reciprocated'by a heart-shaped cam'or other means so as to produce a substantially parallel wind on to' the periphery of the swift. Since, however, it is advisable to ensure that the ends'of threads of untwisted filaments can readily be detected when unwinding is to take place from the hank, it is preferable to employ a traversing meansworking at a sufficient speed to ensure cross Winding of' the threads on to the swifts. One traversing device for each thread may be'used', or a common traverse rod bearing suitably spaced guides and having a single driving cam, or other device, may be employed. 7

The thread may be coated or impregnated with any desired-liquid on its way to the winding device and conveniently'before reaching the feedroller. For example, the thread may be treated with water, oil, or other de-electrifying media, or with fugitive or other colouring materials by means of wicks or other suitable devices. Again, in order to procure cohesion between the filame s of the untWiSted thread, the thread y take-up which always is substantially equal to be sized.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing but it is to be understood that this description is given by way of example only and is in no way respect limitative.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation view of a form of apparatus according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation view of an alternative detail of Fig. 1.

In Fig. 1 filaments l, extruded from a jet 8 situated within a dry spinning cabinet 9, are led in the form of a thread [0 beneath a guide II and are drawn from the cabinet through an aperture 12 by a godet roller I3 from which the thread It] is taken to a reel 66 around which it is wound in hank form. As indicated in the drawing, the thread It) is passed sufliciently around the godet roller l3 to ensure substantially non-slipping contact and is passed through the eye of a back guide [5 so as to facilitate the transference of the thread from the godet roller i3 to the reel 66, especially at the commencement of the winding operation.

It will thus be seen that the filaments 1 are drawn from the jet 8 at the speed of the periphery of the godet roller i3, the rate of draw down from the jet 8 being quite independent of the rate of take-up of the reel 66. As the amount of thread contained in the hank formed on the reel 66 increases, the diameter of the winding surface is enlarged and the reel tends to take up the thread from the godet roller l3 at an increasing rate. In order to prevent this, the reel 66 is driven at a variable rate in the following manner:

Mounted on the end of the godet roller I3 and in driving connection therewith is a disc 65. The reel 66 is of cylindrical form and is borne on a standard 61 oscillatable about a pivot 68. The reel 66 also bears a disc 69 in driving connection therewith and adapted to rotate with the reel. A shaft 16 transversely mounted and bearing at its extremities fixed friction wheels II, 12 of substantially equal diameter, is accommodated in a bearing bracket 13 in such a manner as to cause engagement of the friction wheels H, 12 with the surfaces of the discs 65 and 69.

Upon rotation of the godet roller I3 and disc 65, the friction wheel H is caused to rotate, thus driving the shaft 10 and the opposing friction wheel '12. The wheel 12 by reason of its contact with the disc 69 causes the reel 66 to rotate and to take-up the thread from the godet roller l3. The rate of take-up of the unloaded reel is substantially equal to the rate of delivery of the thread from the godet roller l3.

An idler roller 15 freely mounted on a fixed axis 76 makes surface contact with the thread being wound in hank form upon the reel 66. As the amount of thread upon the reel 66 increases, the diameter of the hank increases accordingly and normally would tend to have an increased rate of take-up. The roller 15, however, while offering no resistance to rotation of the reel 66, pushes back the reel in the direction of the godet roller on increase in the diameter of the hank being wound. The shaft 10 does not change its position relative to the disc 65 and as a result the friction wheel 12 engages a gradually increasing diameter upon the disc 69 and the rate of rotation of the reel 66 is accordingly gradually decreased, thus maintaining an even rate'of thread the rate of thread delivery from the godet roller [3.

On removal of a completed hank from the reel 66, an extensible coil spring I! attached at one end to the standard 6! bearing the reel 66 and at the other end to some fixed part of the machine (not shown) draws back the reel so that the friction wheel 12 again engages the surface of the disc 69 in a suitable position for re-starting the operation.

The thread I0 is guided on to the reel by a traverse guide 64 reciprocated by cam or crank means, (not shown), at any desired rate; e. g. the rate of reciprocation may be such as to produce parallel or cross-winding of the thread on the reel.

A liquid-applying device is mounted so as to engage the thread between the spinning cabinet 9 and the godet roller I3 and comprises a trough 28 containing liquid, into which depend the two ends of a wick 29 which is doubled over a bar 30 mounted at such a height relative to the aperture l2 as to cause gentle contact of the wick 29 with the thread [0 to which liquid from the trough 28 is thus applied by capillary action.

If it is desired to apply a larger amount of liquid to the thread, the liquid may be forced into the thread under pressure by the device described in U. S. application S. No. 642,868 filed November 16, 1932, sufficient of the device to illustrate its use in the present connection being shown in Fig. 2. As illustrated, the device comprises a U-tube having a long limb 35 and a short limb 36. The short limb 36 carries at its upper extremity a liquid-tight container 31 containing a wick or pad which contacts with the underside of a cap 38. The cap 38 encloses all the wick except for a small portion exposed by a slot 39 cut in the apex of the cap 38 and which is adapted to engage the running thread. The cap 38 is secured to the container 31 by a screwed collar 40 which makes a substantially liquid-tight joint. A capillary tube 4| leading from a header (not shown) is adapted to supply the long'limb 35 of the U-tube with a controlled amount of liquid, a head of which is maintained within the long limb. As a result of the head within the limb 35 the container 3'! is charged with liquid under pressure, the intensity of which depends on the height of the head above the container.

As the only outlet for the liquid is by means of the slot 39 in the cap 38, the running thread l0 traversing the slot receives the liquid, the expelled amount of which depends on the pressure within the container 31. Conveniently the device may be mounted between the aperture [2 of the spinning cabinet 9 and the godet roller l3, thus applying the liquid to the thread [0 before it passes to the godet roller. Instead of the thread l0 being guided on to the reel by the thread guide as shown in Fig. 1, rotatable means such as a drum carrying an endless slot may be employed when using a cylindrical reel.

It will be understood that while the abovementioned forms of apparatus have for purposes of clarity been described as separate units, any number of such units may be employed in connection with a spinning machine.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. Apparatus for the production of hanks of artificial filaments, yarns, threads and like filamentary materials, said apparatus comprising in combination means for producing an artificial material, a feed-roller adapted to draw said material, a standard adapted to oscillate about a pivot, a rotatable reel mounted on said standard and adapted to take said material from said feedroller and to wind it in hank form, means adapted to drive frictionally said reel from said feedroller, and means adapted to move said standard about said pivot so as to control the drive to said reel so that the rate of winding the material is maintained substantially equal to the rate of drawing irrespective of change of diameter of the package being wound.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, said apparatus comprising a disc in driving connection with the feed-roller, a further disc in driving connection with the reel, a transverse shaft, friction wheels mounted axially thereon, said shaft being mounted so as to transmit rotation through said friction wheels, from the feed-roller disc to the reel-disc, a roller freely mounted on a fixed axis, said roller being adapted to contact with the hank upon said reel and to push said reel about its pivot as the diameter of the hank increases, thereby moving the reel-disc relative to the corresponding friction wheel so as to vary the rate of rotation of the reel in order that the rate of winding the material is maintained substantially equal to the rate of drawing irrespective of change of diameter of the package being wound, and means adapted to urge said reel against said freely-mounted roller.

WILLIAM IVAN TAYLOR. 

